The circle of life

Yesterday was a good news/bad news day.  First off - Jennifer (our Marketing Manager) had her baby. A beautiful little girl that weighed NINE pounds.  Oh my god!!!! Ouch!  The baby has a full head of hair and certainly does NOT look like a new born.  She is gorgeous. 

On the sad note, I learned of the death of a wonderful lady who used to be part of our Monday Motivator group. Gayle McKenzie - I have so many memories of Gayle, her little beetle car, her bags, her hats and I quilted several quilts for her. She was always chatting about her grand daughter and her son and his wife.  I know she will be missed by a lot of people. 

I am madly working like a bee - not only trying to get quilts done for Market - can you believe that I spent almost an entire day working on putting bindings on by sewing machine.  While it is NOT my favorite thing to do by sewing machine, I feel after this Market, I will probably be pretty efficient at it. For now - I am still learning.  My biggest problem is that I have this massive quilt - 96 by 105 and I am working on my table.  Which I am happy to report is a sewing table endorsed by Leah Day.  Hey - I am up there in the big leagues!!!!  I really can't say enough about that sewing table. It is what sits in my office and I use it every day.  The best investment ever.  I will post a picture tomorrow of the giant quilt and the table. 

Here are some pictures from our show n tell - Amish with A Twist that happened at Sew Sisters this past weekend. The quilts are almost finished - that is the exciting part and I think that most people are up to date so we are going to see some finished tops soon!!!!!!   That full reveal won't take place until December.  Gosh   - that makes me get excited for Market when I get to see all the new stuff coming out.  Hmmmm - I wonder if I will change my mind about some of the projects I have chosen for 2016.   I aim to meet all the designers for stuff that I am going to work on next year. 

Speaking of Market - I'll be on a plane this time next week and I still have so much to do before I leave - bindings, labels and sleeves.  The crates leave tomorrow AM and I have a feeling that we will be packing quilts to take on the plane - there is no way we will get all the work done before tomorrow AM. 

So let's have a look at the show n tell. 

Amish with a Twist II by Nancy Rink

Last three blocks from the kit

A few of the group is using other fabrics than the solid colors used in the original.

Non-solid fabrics

Batiks

More blocks

We had some other fabulous show n tell as well.  This quilt belongs to Genny - it is the mystery quilt from this year from Border Creek station.

Border Creek station mystery

Mary made a table runner from Welcome to the North Pole

Marilyn made this beautiful quilt - pattern from Border Creek Station

Anne made this quilt from a charm pack

Now isn't that gorgeous show n tell.


On that note - I am out of here.


Have a great day!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything you wanted to know about CHRISTMAS CLUB!!

Yesterday I taught two different classes at two DIFFERENT stores. And yes I was on time for both and even had a few minutes to spare. You know you are doing the right job when people say "that was the BEST" class I have ever taken. "You are the BEST teacher I have ever had". One needs to remember those comments on days when you think - why do I continue to do this?  OK - I don't ask myself that question often! But sometimes....

The day started out with our Christmas Club which takes place at  Cockadoodle Quilts. The project we are working on is called Welcome to the North Pole by Piece o Cake. Just to refresh your memory - here is the cover of the booklet................

Welcome to the North Pole

This is an older booklet (published in 1997) and I think it was one of the first quilting books I purchased. I never got around to making it and now we are doing it in Christmas Club.

Our final reveal is on December 17. I would like to INVITE anyone interested to come to the final reveal!!!!   It is going to be AMAZING!!!   If you are thinking of doing this project - you MUST come. You will get some amazing ideas on how to finish the blocks, how to embellish the blocks, how to change the blocks, Oh my - the girls have been VERY creative. And even if you are NOT going to work on this project - you should come anyway to get some ideas for your applique quilts. I am going to post pictures of their work, but the pictures do NOT do justice to the quilts and the workmanship of the class.

The time of the reveal is 11:00 AM on December 17. No need to call ahead, but come with your camera, notebook - whatever. You will also get a preview of what we are working on next year.

I was remiss in showing the work from October so you are going to get October AND November today......


Here we go...................................

All the Santa Delivers on Christmas Eve blocks

Beth who picked a PERFECT fabric for her block. See the houses - Santa is flying over a city!!!!

Marlene with fancy TWO reins - I love it!!!!

Yikes - this is a mystery sleigh. Even after looking at my list - I do NOT know whose this is??????    Oh  - it might be Kathy's. She wasn't at class, but may have left it there for show n tell. 

For that matter - I probably screwed up on a couple of the names anyway. OK - if I got them wrong - let me know and I will switch them!!!!!

Flo used fussy cut fabric - how convenient was that!!!!!

Judith used fussy cut reindeer and just the perfect scale!

Raili used buttons to enhance her Santa

Mary is making TWO of these quilts - her Santa has real fluffy beard and trim

Mary's second block

Nancy used a fussy cut face for her Santa

Kristen has Santa flying along nicely! Note the shiny reins!!!

Karen did NOT want her Santa to fly (perhaps something to do with blood alcohol levels or maybe those pregnant reindeer!!!) She did have a story and I have forgotten it!!!  So her Santa is GROUNDED at the North Pole with the polar bears

See what I mean - those blocks are gorgeous and LOTS and LOTS of very creative ideas. But the pictures do NOT do justice to them at all.

Now for the show n tell from yesterday.................................

Kristen changed the toy shop to a music shop. Her new baby is NOT going to be impressed when he realizes the toy shop at the North Pole has no toys!!!!!  

Raili - with a nice pink toy shop!

Marlene's toy shop. I think Kristen's baby is going to have to visit Marlene's North Pole!!!!   There is LOTS of toys here. 

Flo - with the MOST gorgeous fabric. I just love the zig zag. So cute!!!!!

Nancy - what the????   Oh - one of her neices? is helping her design some of the blocks and they substituted a chocolate shop for the toy shop. Well that is allowed - chocolate is IMPORTANT!!!!!   And depending on your age - chocolate is MORE important than toys. 

Linda with her beautifully coloured toy shop. Wait until you see the entire quilt and her colouring. You will be SURPRISED!!!!!!!!

And there you have it. Lots and lots of show n tell. And so creative - I wish I could take credit for their creativity - heck - I wish I had their creativity!!!!!    It is a FUN FUN FUN group.

Make sure you mark it on your calendar - December 17th at 11 AM. It's going to be wild!!!   Let's hope those pregnant reindeer do NOT go into labour and that Santa sobers up by then!!


This is the book that we did last year....................

Candy Cane Lane 

And NO you cannot click to see inside. I scooped this picture from Amazon web site. But those quilts were equally as creative as this bunch.


OK - I can't help myself - do you want to see what we are going to do in 2012???????   Look - not one, but TWO awesome projects.....................................

A Critter Christmas by Brandywine Design!

Can you believe how CUTE this pattern is!!!!!!  (hand or machine applique + piecing)


And on the way home from the retreat last week, we stopped at Country Concessions in Cookstown. I bought a meter of fabric because I thought it was cute. When I was out walking the dogs yesterday - I put two and two together and realized that this fabric (OK - so my brain works weird) was PERFECT for A Critter Christmas - the backgrounds. What do you think?????

A light blue with snow flakes on it. As soon as I showed it to the girls - someone suggested CRYSTALS on those snowballs. Hold yourself back Linda!!!!!!!

AND the second project is this.........................

O Tannebaum by Quakertown

I have wanted to make this quilt ever since I first saw it.


So if you have the kit, the pattern or nothing for either of these - get yourself signed up. It is going to a LOT of fun.

And don't forget the reveal where you will get all the details.


Speaking of Christmas - you can tell when Christmas is coming by the size (thickness) of the newspaper!!!!!
We no longer get the bigger newspapers - just the local one, but boy it comes stuffed with flyers!!!!

See what I mean???? - It is THICK!!!!!

If I want to have my Welcome to the North Pole finished by December 17 - I have a TON of work to do. I am a tad behind. HOWEVER, I am happy to report that I just might get Christmas Heart Light done for the upcoming reveal this coming weekend. I'll give you the details on that tomorrow.

But look...................................

I have a couple more blocks to applique (they are all prepared) and since I started by hand, I am finishing by hand. But finished one more audio book last night. 

See - here are all the components - the almost completed top, the backing fabric, the binding fabric and the last border in pieces. OH MY GOD - I might actually have it done for the reveal. That will be a first!!!!!!  

Well on that note - it is after 9 AM and I have to get a quilt done today. Go to the library, the bank and blah blah blah - you know how it is.


Have a GREAT day!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!


And Ruth - thanks so much for your word (energetic) - yes I think it was a perfect word to describe me cause that's how I feel today!!!!!!    Look out world!!!!!

Chaos at the North Pole!!!!

Well it is that time of year again - NO - NOT Christmas - not yet!!!!

But it was our reveal for Welcome to the North Pole. And what a reveal it was. Needless to say, the class had fun all summer (OK - so most of them probably did the work this past week????), but their buildings were very creative as usual and you can tell they had a lot of fun designing and building them.

We started with the North Pole Carry Out

All the North Pole Carry Out blocks

Mary very cleverly used sparkly pipe cleaner for the roof

Mary (yes - the same one - crazy Mary who is making TWO) used strung square sequins on the second roof

Marlene (whose North Pole is COMPLETELY different) made a TEA HOUSE

Linda used landscape fabric for hers

Nancy with a very oriental theme for the carry out

I did NOT get a chance to get a close up of all the blocks, but Raili also used pipe cleaner (a white one) for her roof. And the choice of fabric is amazing - Kristen is making hers into a candy house and creatively used the fabric on the door. Well done!!!!!

The next block was Slick's Sled

Linda with a nice plaid sled house!!!

Jeanette with outstanding black trim!!!  and Karen with her Mexican trim!!! and looks like fussy cut windows

Kathy with brilliant primary colours!

Mine with the strips and Beth with those brilliant moons. Hey - how come Beth's sled house is bigger than mine???
Like I said - it is fair game - all hell basically broke loose - everything was changed!!!!

Raili used fusible bias for her sled, Kristen is converting her sled house into a quilt store (and looks like she raised the roof)

Mary and Marlene (who turned her sled house into a clothing and shoe store - can't wait to see what the elves are wearing this season!!!! - and those high heels - are they for Santa????)

Mary (same block as above - look at the icicles on the roof)

Marlene (yes - same block as above) used scrapbook trims to decorate her block

Nancy converted her sled house into a tea room complete with a GIANT spoon on the roof!!!!

And as if that wasn't enough excitement - they had a THIRD block to complete..... The Reindeer Barn

Nancy's barn - look at the detail in that door!!!!

My barn on top and Kristen on the bottom - look at that cool trim around her window and door!!!!  Looks like lights!

Drat - I forgot to ask Kristen if her husband was OK with Elliot (who is three months) to attend quilt stores!!!  He is so cute and Grandma came with them.

Marlene who turned her barn into a quilt store complete with little quilts hanging outside.   Hmmm - I wonder who is going to pull the sleigh???

I believe the top one is Karen's - must be - look at that tree on the right. It is either evil or windblown!!! Raili's barn is on the bottom - she used some satin stitch and a small reindeer button for the weather vane!

Kathy's barn with nice blue trim and good choice of colour against that dark background

Linda - Ah she has snow on her barn (and her little pack of buttons for embellishing when we are done)

Jeanette's barn on top. Love that black/bright fabric for the trim!
Flo's block on the bottom. Very neat fabric for the tree!!!!

Mary's barn. Nice striped tree!!!

Beth's barn on top - great weather vane. That little thing was very fiddly!!!!!  And Mary's second barn on the bottom. She was experimenting with thread painting to get the shading on the roof!!!

They all did such an amazing job. I can't wait to see these quilts together. But you have to wait until December for that.

This group just can't get enough of Christmas!!!!    I knew they would be bugging me for what is to come for next year. Instead of getting my homework done for the class, I spent the morning trying to locate some patterns and suggestions for Christmas Club 2012. Do you think I found enough????

Christmas/snowman patterns suitable for a year long project

At first they were intimidated by the sheer number of what I brought out, but very quickly and as a group - they were able to whittle it down to FIVE patterns. How impressive is that. Now the question will be - which one of the five. Have to give it some thought and check prices.

Speaking of Christmas - I got some more embroidery done last night on one of my other long term projects which also happens to be Christmas.

Two more holly blocks

That brings the total done to EIGHT. Yeah, however there are 14 in total. And I see that three of them still need to have the red part appliqued down. DRAT!!!!!  Well just have to listen to more of that audio book. I tell you - this one is VERY weird. So 3 out of 8 disks and we finally get to the murder. It is a VERY descriptive book, takes place in New York and so far has described the actions and lives of a bunch of seemingly disjointed characters. Now that the murder has happened - the lives are starting to intertwine.

I managed to get another small community project quilt done yesterday.

Community Project quilt

I also another one identical to this loaded on the machine and ready to quilt as soon as I finish the blog.

Then had to search through the book collection (Really MUST get them organized) because I booked an appointment with someone who wants a T-shirt quilt. Dug out the books and pictures to have ready to show them.

Books on T-shirt quilts

While searching for those books, I came across a book that I will donate through our guild to a lady who is teaching women to sew/quilt in Uganda.

Book for donation - yes - I know it is only ONE book and there are probably lots of others that I could get rid of that I have never used and will never use. But one book at a time!!!!!   If only I had learned to be more discriminating at the start - I probably would not have as many books!!!!!

Speaking of books - while I was searching the library - well my library, I also came across this book. See it does pay to search ones own books - it is NOT enough to have a list - you must browse the shelves!!!!!

Vogue sewing book

Yawn - Yawn - this is a sewing book - NOT a quilting book. What is so special about it????   This is THE book that I used when I was learning how to sew clothing. My REFERENCE book. I think I used it a lot and for some reason carried it with me for 30+ years!!!!!   Well a certain someone in my house has requested to take a "Learn to Sew Fashion" in my house and it isn't DH who asked!!!!   I thought this might help her out. She starts this week - let's keep our fingers crossed that it works out.

And while looking - OK - so I spent a lot of time looking  - I came across these magazines. Quilter's Connection. It is a Canadian magazine. It has been out for a couple of years and NO - I haven't read the magazines. So I gathered them all - placed them in ORDER (of course) and will attempt to read them over the next day or so. THEN - I will have to process them - keep them, rip them up or give them away. OK - I'm having separation anxiety just thinking about it!!!!!   But I got to start!!!!

Quilter's Connection

 I shall review the magazine as I go through the issues. I do like to support Canadian so I hope it is good. NO - don't go there!!!!!

Then I also came across these STITCH magazines from Quilting Arts - yes I think I have bought them all since they came out several years ago. I gave a couple to M - they tend to have funky, trendy projects in them and maybe she will find something she can practice on before she hits the classroom on Thursday. And I am going to read through these and process them as well. HELP HELP HELP!!!!!    My blood pressure is going up!!!!!!

Stitch Magazine by Quilting Arts

Well I sure hope my blood pressure doesn't go up. I don't want to take ANOTHER pill. I now know why people buy those pill box thingys with the days of the week on it!!!!   I am really really trying to get in the habit (which I vowed I NEVER would), but decided I had better start taking some stuff to help out my aging bones and other parts of me.

Pills I took this morning

Allergies, pain killers, Vitamin B and glucosimine. Then I always forget the calcium which needs to be taken with food but on its own. Crap - I need the deluxe version of the pill thing with morning, afternoon and evening!!!   GOD - I AM OLD!!!!!!!   Well - I do feel old especially when I can't make it through the day without a nap. I hate that, but waking up at night with aching knees just kills my day!!!!

So up at 4 AM this morning and had to find something to do!!   As if that would be a problem in this studio. I decided that I had better get to work on another of my long term projects - The Dragon Star.

Dragon Star by Judy Niemeyer

Working on flying geese units (way behind!!!!)

I actually enjoyed getting back to actual sewing. Since I have a sewing day planned with Marian this week - I think I might continue work on this and try to actually catch up and get ahead of the students again!!!!!

Yes - a sewing day with Marian. She comes home TODAY. Just when I have Kaylee all trained and calm!!!!   When I got up this morning, she didn't even bother to come down stairs. The first day she came - when I got up - so did she and she wanted to PLAY!!!!   When she did amble down this morning, she just lay down in her bed and went to sleep. She had a lot of fun chasing rabbits in the back when we went for our walk. I think she will miss that. Heck - we are all going to miss her. She is just like part of the family, but I am sure she will be happy to be back with Marian and Jim. Then at least she can sleep on their bed rather than the floor or the kid's bed!!!!


Before I sign off today - can you tell - I am getting old and organized!!!!   Here is my chair in the living room - this is my "staging" chair. Everything on here (including a bag of duplicate books and magazines I found that are going to another guild I belong to - they are having their quilt show soon and it can be sold in the member's boutique!)  anyway - everything on the chair is waiting to be picked up or taken somewhere. And there are a couple of quilts to add to the pile - just got to trim them and get them in a bag.

The "staging" chair!!!   Everything MUST GO!!!!!

And last, but not least - HAPPINESS is........

having a friend to lay beside while you gum/chew your toys!!!!!

Well - the day must BEGIN.

Have a great day!!!


Ciao!!!!!